ingalls



' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. G. INGALLS.

(No Model.)

GAR PROTECTOR.

Patented June 18,1895. 1 2

No. '541,327. Tg1.

A TTOHNE YS.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. G. INGALLS. l

GAR PROTECTOR.

[lill/5,111,110

ATTORNEYS.

/NVENTOH Patented June 18, 1895.

W/TNESSES:

wang@ UNrTnn STATES PATENT AClarion.

CHARLES G. INGALLS, OF YAUCEDAH, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO F. H. PATTERSON, OF SAME PLACE.-

CAR-PROTECTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,327, dated June 18, 1895.

Serial. No. 540,890. (No model-l To a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. INGALLS, of Vaucedah, in the county of Dickinson and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Protector, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improved means for affording protection to doors and windows of mail and express cars, to prevent the felonious entrance of train robbers who may attack the car or train of cars.

The invention consists of a bullet and tireproof shield for each door or window of the car, which shields are arranged to be folded away from the openings they are to protect, and are adapted to receive simultaneous and instant adjustment so as to project them over the doors and windows if desired, and thus afford complete protection to such points of entrance to the car. Provision is also made to enable those in the car to re from different points through the shields, after they have been adj ustedto cover the doors and windows, and thus safely attack the train robbers `who may attempt to force an entrance into the protected car.

The invention further consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and indicatedin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side view of a car-body having the improvement, the latter being shown folded up from a car-doorit is adapted to protect when lowered. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 2 2 in Fig. l, showing the upper portion of the car-body and the improvement thereon in duplicate and folded up to remove them from the opposite door-apertures. Fig. 3 is a partlysec tional reverse plan view of the upper portion of the car-body and features of the improvement thereon,thesection beingtaken substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 4. is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 4ta 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5 5 in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a side view,in part, of the car at one door, showing vthe improvement thereon in closed adjustmentover the door, the view being taken in direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse sectionalview on the line 77 in Fig. 3. Fig.3 is a sectional face view on the line 8 8 in Figs. 3 and 7; and Fig. 9 is a perspective View of an implement for releasing the fastenings of the improved shields, so that they may be removed from over the doorsor windows they have been adjusted to cover and protect. j

The car body A may be of any approved construction, and have the usual number of doors at the Vends and sides of the same, and to avoid unnecessary detail the doors at the ends of the car body, as well as the Windows, are omitted from the drawings. The car body is preferably lined with plate metal, as shown at B in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, the said lining having suficient thickness to resist its perforation by bullets.

ments for the protection of any opening in 'the car body, be it a door or window, but for the purposes of illustration of the novel protector, it is represented as arranged to guard the opposite doorsO, which are provided to close the main side door apertures, such as are usually furnished for the introduction and removal of freight or mail matter to and from the car.

Preferably the doors C are formed of steel plate, and they may have a glazed window C in each one at the upper part, as is clearly represented in Fig. l, these windows,if provided, obviating the necessity for other windows to light the interior of the car. As the improved protecting shields are of similar construction, and are attached in a like manner to the car body A, the description of one shield and its connections will'suce for both of said appliances. v

Each shield comprises two main sections 10, 1l, of such area that together they are of an ample size to cover the door O that they may be arranged to guard. The upper section l0 of the two part shield is strongly hinged to the side of the car body A, so as to permit said section to hang pendent from a point directly above the car door C, and for edective It is contemplated to provide the improve- IOO IYs

service the hinges 10a have their joint portions all connected bya single pintle rod 10b, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 6.

There is a coiled spring 10c mounted on the pintle rod 10b and said spring is arranged to exert torsional recoil at its ends for the depression of the shield section, so as to eect an assured and quick descent ot' the latter when occasion requires it.

The side edges of the shield sections 10, ll, are flanged in the same direction, and preferably said iianges are tapered to regularly reduce their breadth from the lower edge ofthe lower section 11 to the top edge of the section 10, as clearly represented in Fig. 5, and on the lower edge of the lower section a flange is produced that joins the side lianges of said section, the shields being inclined outwardly and downwardly when in lowered adjustment.

Such a proportionate width and length is afforded each shield section, that said parts 10, 1l may be slid together where they meet, and the lower section have an overlapping contact with the adjacent portion of the upper section. Thereis a duplicate spring-jointed connection produced between the lapped portions of the shield sections 10, 11, which connections are preferably formed as shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

It will be seen that each of the duplicate spring joints for the shield sections 10, 11, comprises a spring-box 12, which boxes are oppositely attached to the inner surface of said flanges on the upper section 10 near its transverse lower edge. The spring-boxes are centrally perforated to loosely receive the cylindrical bodies ofthe pintle studs 12a,se cured to and projecting inwardly from the overlapping portions of the side flanges on the lower shield section ll'. As clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a volute spring l2b is located in each spring-box 12, the inner end of the spring being secured to the stud 12a it encircles, the outer end of the spring being at` fixed to the inner side of the spring box.

The described arrangement of parts furnishes pivotal connections between the lapped portions ot' the shield sections l0, 11, at their flanges, and also adapts the volute springs to coact with the gravity of the lower shield section for a speedy descent of the latter to occupy the position shown in-Fig. 5, the trend of the spring coils and their connection as stated, serving to effect the result mentioned.

As the shield sections l 0, l1 are formed of the -plate metal and have considerable breadth, it is essential that provision be made to retain the overlapping portions of said sections in close contact when the shield is lowered for service. To this end a suitable number of spring latch hooks 13 are provided, which have plate form and have one end of each fastened to the inner surface ot' the lower shield section, at such a distance from the transverse lower edge of the upper shield section that the free hooks on the upper ends of the latches 13 will be adapted to have a latching engagement with an inwardly projecting rib 10d, that is formed on said trans- Verse edge of the upper section, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. As the hooked connection just described is produced below the pivotal connections of the shield sections, it will be evident that. the latter will be held in close contact, and that the inward tiexure of the joints will be prevented when such a contact of parts is had,so that in elfect the two shield sections become as one body when in completely lowered condition.

In order to secure the shields in position over the doors C and prevent their elevation from the outside of the car by an attacking party, one or more spring latch hooks 14 are provided, which are secured by onev end of each latch hook, on the lower transverse flanges of the lower shield sections 11, so that the free hooked ends of these securing devices will project inwardly when the shields are in a lowered condition, and be adapted to interlock with suitable detent notches or projections in or on the door of the car, or thresholds of the cardoor apertures, which will retain the shields in a locked condition until the spring hooks 11 are released by use of a. sitable implement, as will be hereinafter explained.

When the door protecting appliances that have been described are not inservice as shields for the doors C, they are folded' up wardly, so that the sections 10, 1l of each shield will relatively occupy the positions indicated in Figs. l and 2, and are so retained against the stress of the coiled springs 10,

12b, by a latched engagement of the latch' loo gagement.

As the joints 10a are centers of motion for the section 10, and the hooks 14 are on a radial line therefrom, it will be seen that when the other fastenings to be described, are re- IIO leased, the .folded section 10 will by its outward rocking movement carry the hooks 14 away from the detent hooks 15 and so release their latching engagement.

The hooked connection of the detents 15 and latch hooks 14, serves to insure the folding engagement of the shield sections near the joints of the hinges 10a; and to hold their upper edges in a folded condition on the car roof, as shown in Fig. 2,it is preferred to employ the mechanism represented in said tigure and in Fig. 3, which will retain the lower Two slide bolts 16 are held on bracket frames so as to slide through the upright wall of the car body, or as shown may have asliding engagement with the perforated side walls of a longitudinally extending ventilator, such as is usually provided for railroad cars, and the said bolts are sufliciently projected by springs 16APL to permit their outer ends to extend over the rib 10d, that is, by the folding of the shield sections disposed near to the ventilator wall, so that the projection of the slide bolts as stated will retain the opposite shields in a folded condition on the roof of the car body A.

The inner ends of each set of slide bolts 16 are secured toexible bands 17 or like connections, which bands that are opposite in pairs have a secured engagement at the inner ends of each pair, with one of two similar pulleys 18a. The pulleys on which the ends of the bands 17 are secured are fixed on a horizontal shaft 18, that is supported to rotate by its loose engagement with two de pending bracket arms 19, which hang from the roof of the car or ventilator thereon.

Intermediately of the pulleys 18 another pulley 18b is mounted on the shaft 18 and secured thereto, and on said pulley a band or other iexible piece 18c is attached by one end and wrapped thereon, as clearly represented in Fig. 4a. The arrangement of the bands 17 where they are engaged in pairs with the pulleys 18a, is such that the portions of each pair of bands that are nearest the pulley they are engaged with,may be wrapped on the pulley and also over each other, in a manner which is rendered obvious by their representation in Fig. 4, so that the rotation of the shaft 18 inthe direction of arrows in Fig. 4, will shorten the bands, and withdraw the slide bolts 16 from an engagement with the ribs 10d.

The wrapped condition of the band 18 is produced in the same direction as the arrows in Fig. 4, so that a pull on the pendent por tion of said band will wrap up the bands 17 and consequently draw the slide bolts 16. Each of the shields has a number of perforations 2O formed in its sections, at points which willpermitoccupants of the car to protrude the barrels of firearms through said holes, to aim them at robbers who are making an assault on the car or train.

As the shields are bullet proof, and by the described construction of parts are adapted to be simultaneously thrown into a position that will completely cover the doors C, it will be evident that an attempt to enter the car through the doors that are thus protected will be foiled,and that bythe use of fire arms the attacking party may be driven off or killed.

In Fig. 9 is shown a lever 21 having two lateral limbs 21, which project at one of its ends, said lever being designed to release the latch hooks which hold the shields hooked fast at their lower edges, the limbs of the lever being made to engage with the hooked ends of the spring hooks 1-1, so that a depression of the lever when applied as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, will simultaneously release the latch hooks and permit an upwardly folding adjustment of the sections of the shields.

To enable the engineer of a train that has been stopped by robbers to signal to a mail or express agent that there is danger, a battery and signal bell can be placed in the car, and insulated wires in open circuit be extended to the foot-board of the engine, so that the engineer, if he is made to throw up his hands, can, by stepping on a push button of ordinary make and to which the wires are connected, close the circuit and sound the bell, so that the mail agent or expressman can speedilyV throw the door and window protectors into position for service, as hereinbefore explained.

Having thus fully described my invention, claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination vwith a car, of a shield for closing an opening thereof formed of two sections, the upper one being hinged to the car above the opening to fold upon the roof thereof and the lower one to the upper one to fold thereupon, substantially as described.

2.. The combination with a car, of a shield for closing an opening thereof, said shield being formed of sections hinged together, the

upper section being hinged to the car over the said opening by spring hinges, and means for holding the sections folded one upon the other above the opening, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a car, of a shield formed of two sections, the upper section being hinged to the car by spring hinges and the lower section to the upper section by spring hinges, and means for locking the two sections folded one upon the other, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with'a car, of a shield formed of two anged sections, hinged together, the upper section being hinged to the car above the opening to be closed, and means for locking the sections extended over' the said opening, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a car body, having opposite apertures Vin its sides, of fire and bullet proof shields adapted to cover said apertures, said shields being each composed of two hinged and spring pressed sections, latching devices for holding the shields in lowered adjustment, and latching mechanism for retaining the shields folded upwardly and permitting their release, substantially as described.

6. vThe combination with a car, of a shield formed of two sections, the upper section being hinged to the car above the opening to be closed, by spring hinges, and the lower section hinged by lspring hinges to the upper section, a latch for locking the upper section folded, and a latch for locking the lower section upon the upper section, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a car, of a shield IOO formed of two sections hinged together by closed, by spring hinges, a latch for looking spring hinges, the upper section being hinged to the ear over the opening to be closed, by spring hinges, a spring bolt; for locking the upper section folded, means for releasing said bolt, and a latch for locking the lower section upon the upper section, substantially as deing the shield over the opening, a spring bolt for locking the upper section when folded back upon the roof and alatch carried by the lower section and engaging a hook on the roof of the car, substantially as shown and scribed. described.

` CHARLES G. INGALLS. formed of two flanged sections hinged to- Witnesses:

SALMON P. SAXTON,

SAMUEL PATTERSON.

gether by spring hinges, the upper section being hinged to the car above the opening to be l S. The combination with a car, of a shield the two sections in alignment, a latch for locki 

